Burned: A ZADR Oneshot
by Natsu Ogawa
Summary: On a trip before spring vacation Zim wonders off to blow off steam when some new kids push him into the sub-zero cold water, causing him to burn and become paralyzed. Thanks to Dib's realization he was in the right place at the right time to save him. Z/


BOOM BABY! and merry/happy holidays...! I'm back...with a new favorite pairing as you can see...ZADR...I love it! Not like...LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE...SO ANYWAY...i got this idea from all the ZADR fics I've been reading and from reading so many I got off my ass and decided to write one...you have no idea how much I missed writing for . It feels like coming back home after a long trip...and its feels good to be home...this is my first fanfic in a looooooong time and its my very first ZADR fic so please dont be too harsh on it...constructive criticism would be much appreciated.

the awesomeness known as Invader Zim belongs to Jhonen Vasquez, the All Mighty Creator!

DEDICATED TO ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS WHO'S LIKE MY SISTA, B-BALL CHAN (narutofanatic32) I love ya sista you are the definition of awesome sauce!

* * *

It seemed peaceful. Everyone was happy. Everyone was looking forward to the next couple of weeks after tomorrow...after all skool was about to finish for the next two weeks for spring vacation. Two weeks. The skool and Ms. Bitters hated the kids so much they decided to change the skool's schedule to Trak E...making the year seem a lot shorter, even if it was the same amount of days...

Today to "celebrate" the soon to come break, they all went on a field trip to a park close to the beach. It was still quite chilly outside, so being next to the beach outside made it even colder, but the ignorant kids didn't care as long as they were out of skool. All the ignorant kids, but not Dib, Gaz or the poorly disguised Irken, Zim. They both wished they were somewhere warmer...Gaz however didn't seem to mind.

While all the others played in the park with ropes and footballs and the swings Zim stood in front of an invisible borderline that separated him from the rest of the group, even after so many years that borderline was still there.

He had grown taller in the recent years, taller and had even begun to look decent...actually beyond decent by Irken and human standards he was drop dead handsome.

'Tall enough to impress the Talle-'...no he didn't dare think of them...he refused. He stood there and thought deeply...safe in his own mind...

"Look at him Gaz..." Dib said to his game-obsessed sister.

Dib glared at the Irken "Invader." He also grew up...in one way or another...like Zim he grew taller and quite attractive but kept his scythe like lock on top of his head...some girls even eyed him from time to time when he wasn't looking...but lately he hasn't bothered to notice due to Zim's sudden mood change two days ago...he would never admit it to anyone but himself but he was kinda concerned.

"How is it after all these years no one else notices Zim's alieness!" He almost yelled, he didn't hear the deadly growls from Gaz. "I bet he's up to something...he's been way to quie-!" For being too much of an annoyance to her, Gaz paused her Game-Slave to punch Dib in the stomach, drag him to the sand box and bury him on his back.

"Bother me again and you'll get worse then that...got it?" She growled like a hell spawned demon. She turned and stomped away to a bench, kicking some dust in her brother's face, leaving him coughing and buried in sand.

"H-how did she g-g-et on this trip anyway?" He questioned the sky while coughing out little dusty particles of sand. He struggled against the heavy sand to get up...it was becoming a difficult task... "And how the hell does she manage to turn sand into a prison?" The difficult task just became war between mineral and man. He tried to see if Zim was still standing there...but he was gone...

"Where did he go?"

* * *

Unable to think or at least space out Zim narrowed his eyes and left the pathetic scene of stink beasts...

"Disgusting humans..." He mumbled hatefully as he continued walking away...to where? He didn't know...his feet were doing the navigating...he tried to drift off in his mind...but it was completely impossible...his head kept going back to what happened two days ago...

That damn day. That damn hour. Those damn 3 minutes. That damn transmission. It ruined him...by confusing him...now he didn't what was true...or what was a lie...he felt like screaming at the despicable water crashing against the cliff's towing walls. All he knew was that his mission was fake...Earth was merely acting as his containment chamber and his mission was his script for a play to entertain the Tallest. He despised them...he despised them all...

He stopped and looked down at the ground to see some rocks near his feet...he glared at them with all his anger and hatred. He bent down and scooped four poor stones as his victims. He took one in one hand while holding the rest with the others and glared at it individually.

"This is for lying to me!" Zim pulled back and hurdled it toward the greenish blue water.

"This is for exiling me!" He shot the second one.

"This is for treating me like filth!" He chucked another.

"This is for using me for your entertainment!" And another poor rock went flying.

Zim stopped and breathed for a couple of seconds, and realized he ran out of ammo. He scooped up another poor rock victim and was about to chuck it when he saw a reflection on the classy rock. He turned around to find two humans from his class...they were fairly new...but just as horrible as the other pig smellies...actually worse.

"Well lookie lookie...if it ain't string beans..." One of them said, his name was Omar...he was rather fat and very ugly with a hideous smirk on his face.

"Eeeh? You dare APPROACH the great ZIIIIM!" Zim yelled, in his normal exaggerated tone. "You pig smellies have too much guts...TOO MUCH!"

"Whatever but I bet you can't swim like you yell, pea pod head." The other taunted a skinny stick known as Slick.

"You speak nonsense, human filth...ZIM can do ALL things like I yell!" He said defensively, his "mission" may be over but he still needed to keep up appearances until further notice.

"Oh yeah..." The fat-smirk chuckled darkly. " Then show us...jump."

That chuckle and smirk made his anger ignite 13 times over. Not this time. Not again. " I'm not you filthy disgusting humans' entertainment...you want something to keep you busy go stuff your face with waffles, fat-cow!" Zim retorted hatefully at the fat ugly boy, whom at this point lost his smirk...this could not be good...because a came back again with a vengeance...

* * *

(Happens while zim is throwing a tantrum)

Dib had finally manage to win the Sand vs. Man war, and as soon as he was free he looked around for Zim. He was starting to feel funny...concerned or worried...? He shook his head furiously.

'Nah, what the hell am I thinking...why should I be worried for that alien...menace...' Dib thought about it...'He has been acting pretty strange lately...almost like as if he need depression pills...' Images of how Zim has been lately flashed through his mind...that fire and energy has died out...he no longer yells during class at Dib like he used too, but when he does it feels and sounds half hearted and forced and he seems to be avoiding him also, no more menacing grins or zipper tooth smiles of doom, no nicknames, no threats...nothing...

"What could've happened to him?" Dib asked aloud concerned. He started to shake his head. "Since when did I give a shit..." He asked, even though he knew.

He knew...and yet he didn't. Two days ago he ended up thinking about Zim as to who exactly was he and what did he really mean to Dib...he came up with one answer...but instantly dismissed it because it seemed impossible...but yet even now that answer came into his head...so it had to be true. He still refused it to be so...besides...its not like Zim would feel the same...would he?

"Hey Dib."

Dib frantically turned around to see Rita staring up at him trying to look cool and bored, even though it was obvious that she grew to like him too, like the others because he grew up to be such an attractive young man. She grew to be quite lovely...though she was still shallow.

"Oh, uh, hey, Rita..." He said awkwardly.

"Hey..." She giggled. "Sooooo um...you wanna hang with me at the snack shack? I'll buy?" She offered. Her eyes were full of hope.

"Sorry, no, I can't..." He chuckled nervously, not realizing he could've not dead panned the poor girl. "Rita do you know where Zim is?"

Rita seemed slightly stunned, but she managed to point which way he went...she was too stunned to speak. After a quick thanks Dib headed right for that direction. The other girls and some guys cheered at the rejection. As soon as he was out of sight he called out for Zim. Hearing nothing he kept jogging/walking and calling his name.

After a while he still got nothing and was now pretty far from the group. Dib called out his name more frantically. "ZIIIII-IIIIIM!"

He walked on and yelled until he found the two new boys standing at the edge of the cliff that was about eight feet above the freezing water. They were smirking. Dib aproached them carefully...he knew they had irrational issues with people, especially Zim.

"H-hey, guys. Um...have you seen Zim?" He asked hopefully.

The two boys just smirk at him. "Why do you need to see him?"

He was getting enough of the damn stalling. "I need to tell him something..."

"Well he's busy..." Omar said as a matter of factly...glancing at the water.

"Doin' what?" Dib said irritated.

"He's showing us how not to swim..." Slick smirked

Dib's eyes shot open wide. He stared at the water dreadfully.

* * *

(happens while dib is out searching.)

They had approached him with their evil smirks that almost surpassed his own.

"What you say greeney?' Omar said threateningly.

"I. Said. No. Cow!" Zim spat.

"Ooh, ooh...bad choice my friend..." Slick taunted, seeming to circle Zim.

"Oh yeah...what could a cow and stick do to the mighty ZIM!" He said in a care free tone.

Omar smirked even more and stopped just a couple of inches away from Zim.

Zim proudly stood his ground. He knew full well what the boys' intentions were, but he refused to run...

"Ziiiiiiiiiii-iiiiiiiiiim!" Zim's eyes widened as he heard in the near distance someone shout his name. He felt his squiggly-splooch tighten...

"Ziiiiiiiiim!"

"Dib...?" He mumbled. 'Dib...what is he-'

"I'm not gonna be doin' anything...you're the one going for a swim, green freak!"

Omar and Slick all of a sudden roughly pushed him off the edge into the cold, merciless waters that quickly swallowed Zim up. At first contact the cold Earth liquid burned him, scorched him as though he was covered in gasoline and hell fire. Now he was covered from head to toe in water, drowning in it...he tried to move his limbs but the water burned and hurt too much and it had paralyzed him and he couldn't move.

'No! This can't be happening! Not now of all times!' He screamed in his mind.

He was nowhere near the surface and he kept sinking deeper and further into the water slowly. He felt the pain becoming to much for his Irken body to handle and he slowly slipped out of consciousness...he was able to force his head to look up so he could see light for the last time...but too bad the clouds didn't allow that...

'Since when did clouds have such beautiful hazel eyes?' He thought as the "cloud" seemed to be coming closer. 'When did they ever look like Dib...?'

* * *

Dib's heart raced and he prayed he'd make it in time. He had dove down into the depths of the frigid water, searching for Zim. The waves weren't helping much either. He kept swimming. His head and heart filled with messed up emotions...worry, concerned, angry, and hateful, and mostly he was terrified. He didn't want to lose him...not in this manner...not to prove he was something he will never be, for his damn mission.

Dib saw two ovals just a bit further down. They had a look of despair and sadness...and regret, all held within two indigo lenses. He was close.

As Zim's eyes narrowed down to a close, Dib clasped onto his jacket's collar and pulled him into his arms. He tied Zim's arms around his neck securely and started swimming upward as fast a torpedo to the surface.

Dib broke through the surface at last and gasped for some air. He pulled Zim onto his back and started swimming for the beach a couple of feet ahead. With each stroke he prayed for Zim to be alive.

'Just a couple of more feet!' Dib stroked as fast and as hard as he could. 'Please...let us make it! Please!' He prayed, and kept on swimming.

Finally they made it to shallow water and Dib immediately started to run, or at least tried to without falling because of the sudden sense of gravity. He ran until he reached dry sand to place Zim gently, as though he was fine glass, on the beach was pale green, pastel. Dib started to panic a bit but kept calm. He knelt close to him and lifted his head back and leaned down to hear any signs or breathing...nothing. He wasted no time.

Dib took a big breathe and lowered his face to Zim's and covered his mouth with his own and gave two full breaths. He lifted his head again and checked for a pulse. It was too faint and he wasn't breathing still. He put his hands together and placed them on Zim's chest and pushed down, compressing 15 times.

Seeing no results, he did it again. He covered Zim's mouth again and gave two full breaths and compressed his chest. Dib compressed with shaking hands and he felt warm drops falling on them, even though they were numb. Dib closed his eyes shut and kept compressing as he kept shedding his tears. By the fourteenth one, Zim finally coughed up all the swallowed water that burned his insides. He gasped for air in shallow rasps. Dib felt the tears flowing faster and his heart lifted from the pressures of dread.

"D-Dib...burning...couldn't...can't move..." Zim said as best as he could...he finally opened his shrouded eyes to see Dib crying. "Dib?"

"YOU IDIOT!" Dib said loudly. "What the hell were you thinking, you could've killed yourself!"

Zim tried to sit up, while staring at Dib dumbfounded. He finally regained somewhat mobility, now that the water was drying off...but his green flesh felt singed, and it was painful still to move.

"Why do you always put your 'mission' before yourself? Why is the mission so important to you that you'd sacrifice yourself to protect it?" Dib sounded outraged, kinda like a mother who's been worried sick.

"Dib..." Zim semi-gasped, astonished that the human would be so affected by his actions.

"WHY IS IT ALWAYS ABOUT THE MISSION?" He yelled at the top of his lung, looking at Zim full on, breathing heavy.

Zim looked at him, dead serious. "You don't need to worry about my so called 'mission' anymore..." He sighed. "I wont be threatening Earth anymore."

Dib stared at him wide eyed. "W-what?" He couldn't believe his own ears.

"You heard me...I'm not going to invade Earth..." He stated. "The mission...was a lie...it was only to keep me busy...it was never real just a lie from two Irkens I once trusted..."

Dib was shocked. Never in his life would he had thought Zim would be saying something as this."Zim...I..."

Zim tried to position himself on his knees but the weight of his upper body caused him to lose balance for a minute and sway. Dib caught the alien before he swayed to much and fell down again. He kept him steady and upright on his knees. He let go when he believed he had regained balance.

"There's not a single being I can trust anymore...living that is and not made of metal..." Zim slightly chuckled pathetically, looking down on the sand.

"You could trust me..."

Zim's head shot up at hearing Dib's muttering. "What did you say?"

Dib slightly blushed. "You could trust me...I-I know I'm your mortal enemy and all but we know each other pretty well, or rather very well..." He rambled.

It was true. It clicked in Zim's mind. 'Yes, we do know each other well...'

"And we're also kinda similar...both of us on teams that don't want us...we're outsiders..."

Zim's eyes widened slightly. It was true...very true...

"So what do you say, Zim?" Dib looked at him right in the eyes. " Could you trust me, if no one else...?"

Zim couldn't believe what he was hearing...or how he was reacting. His innards were tightening and flipping in all sorts of direction.

'Could I trust him?' Zim contemplated. 'Should I trust him...'

Zim dove into the beautiful amber eyes of Dib in search for an answer. He didn't find nothing. But he didn't find his answer to either question. If he could or should. All he found was that he wanted to trust him, and he wanted to keep those eyes...want want want...

Having enough of the self stalling and resisting what he wants, what he needed...Zim swiftly stretched his arms to the back of Dib's head and back, and drew him closer to his body. He stopped to gaze into the amber eyes that widened before him and saw pink come about Dib's cheeks like a lit match.

"Z-Zim what are you-"

The rest was cut off. Zim placed his green, soft lips upon Dibs gently. He felt his insides flipping even more. Dib's heart raced and his eyes glistened, his cheeks discovered a new shade of red. Dib slowly let himself sink into the kiss. He felt like he was drowning, in a good way. Light headed and floating. Dib deepened the kiss and pressed onto Zim, causing him to press back and make them fall over and break the kiss.

Dib and Zim took this as an opportunity to breath. Zim rose up to prop himself on his hands and knees and gazed down upon Dib. He opened his eyes at last and gazed into Zim's fake eyes of indigo, tempted to remove them to reveal hot red orbs. Like fire.

"Zim..."

"I trust you." Zim said. Stated as if it was law. For the first time in a while, Zim smiled. A genuine, pure, blissful smile. He was happy to be finally sure of something and to be able again trust in someone.

Dib smiled at him pleasantly. "And I trust you..."

"Dib..." He lowered his head to kiss him again. "I trust you...and I love you."

Dib laughed a bit and blushed.

"Hey what's so funny?" Zim said defensively, a dark green blush on his alien cheeks.

"I'm sorry! Its just that, I came out looking for you to tell you something...and you beat me to it..." Dib said. "I was looking for you to tell you I love you, too..."

Zim smiled warmly and lowered down again and passionately kissed his love. His new trusted love, Dib. Finally happy...finally with a purpose in life again...finally with someone to love him...and for him to love.

Zim broke the kiss and smiled at Dib warmly and blissfully.

"I love you..."

* * *

A/N:

muahahahahahahahhahaha merry christmas happy holidays and happy new years and give me some food i'm starved!

this is my first shot at ZaDr...so spare me my life and its been a while since i wrote fanfics soooooo i might be a bit rusty and i've been trying soooooo hard not to make this story all crappy and stuff...gaaaaaaaaaaah...i'm tired and my brain hurt and i'm HUNGREEEEEEEEEEH!starts breaking into houses to steal food WAFFLES!

hey i've also been toying around with ideas for the following series/media...

danny phantom

el tigre

beetlejuice (cartoon)

ghost hunt

majin tantei nougami neuro

treasure planet

the nightmare before christmas

the little mermaid

and many more

one of the ideas i have for ghost hunt that was inspired by criminal minds im actually working on now...and it'll probaly take me a while...idk we'll see

well bye for now take care and I LOVE YOU ALL!


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